Fred Heron
Encyclopedia
Frederick Roger Heron was a professional American football
defensive lineman in the National Football League
. He played seven seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals
.
Heron was drafted by the Green Bay Packers
in the third round of the 1966 college draft, and Vince Lombardi
traded him as a replacement for a lineman in the St. Louis Cardinals
who had been forced to retire due to a heart murmur.
He suffered a back injury in a game in 1969 that led to an operation in April 1970, but resulted in ongoing pain for some time.
By the end of his time with the Cardinals, he had become bothered by the violence of the sport, and in one interview stated "I watched the quarterback on the ground in obvious pain. I suddenly thought to myself, ‘Have I turned into some kind of animal? This is a game, but I’m trying to maim somebody.’"
He and his wife Betty studied the Bible with Jehovah's Witnesses
and were both baptized as Witnesses in February 1972. The Cardinals released him from his contract after his back injuries led to another surgery in October 1972. After Heron's retirement from football he went on to work as the campus security assistant at Rio Calaveras Elementary School in his hometown of Stockton, California
.
He died on December 28, 2010.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive lineman in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He played seven seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Heron was drafted by the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
in the third round of the 1966 college draft, and Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi
Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
traded him as a replacement for a lineman in the St. Louis Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
who had been forced to retire due to a heart murmur.
He suffered a back injury in a game in 1969 that led to an operation in April 1970, but resulted in ongoing pain for some time.
By the end of his time with the Cardinals, he had become bothered by the violence of the sport, and in one interview stated "I watched the quarterback on the ground in obvious pain. I suddenly thought to myself, ‘Have I turned into some kind of animal? This is a game, but I’m trying to maim somebody.’"
He and his wife Betty studied the Bible with Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
and were both baptized as Witnesses in February 1972. The Cardinals released him from his contract after his back injuries led to another surgery in October 1972. After Heron's retirement from football he went on to work as the campus security assistant at Rio Calaveras Elementary School in his hometown of Stockton, California
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
.
He died on December 28, 2010.